Locking cotter-pin.



A. O. CAMPBELL.

LOOKING COTTER PIN.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 4, 1912.

1,057,218. Patented M21125. 1913.

witnesses; f/wcnpor';

ANDREW 'C. CAMPBELL, OF WATERBURY, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR TO ANDREVJ C. CAMPBELL, INCORPORATED, OF WATERBURY, CONNECTICUT, A CORPORATION OF CONNECTICUT.

LOCKING CUTTER-PIN.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Appliaction filed March 4, 1912.

Patented Mar. 25, .i 913. Serial No. 681,344.

The object of the invention is to provide a simple and cheap cotter-pin which is so devised that after being thrust through a hole it can be easily manipulated so as to securely lock itself in place. This object is attained i by doubling a length of the commonly used wire upon itself so as to form an offset eye at one end and have one limb longer than the other,' with the tip of the longer limb bent at an angle across the tip of the shorter, in such manner that after the pin is thrust through he hole it is to occupy, a bar or tool blade can b put through the eye and twisted so as to draw back the long limb and cause the bent tip tospread the ends of the limbs to a size thatis greater than the diameter of the hole occupied by the pin.

Figure l of the accompanying drawings shows a cotter-pin which embodies the invention in its original shape thrust through a perforation in a piece of metal. Fig. 2 is a view of the same after the pin has been manipulated by a bar so that the long limb is drawn back and its bent tip has caused an expansion of the ends for the purpose of locking the pin in place.

These pins are desirably manufactured on an automatic forming machine of the necessary lengths cut from a coil of half round wire of the desired diameter. The Wire is bent to form an eye 1 at one end and bring the fiat surfaces together and provide the short limb 2 and the long limb 3. The eye is offset on the side of the short limb. The tip 4 of the long limb is bent at an angle across the tip of the short limb. V hen the wire is cut for the purpose of severing a length for making the pin, the end which is to form the tip of the long limb is desi 'ably shaped so that when this tip is bent across the tip of the short limb. the transverse section of the end will be practically a circleof the same size as the two limbs, which is usually a little less than the diameter of the hole through which the pin is to be thrust. These pins can be made as rapidly and cheaply as the common colterpin, which has limbs of equal length and the tips of which have to be separated and spread apart by a suitable instrument after the pin has been driven in place. After one-of these improved pins has been thrust into hole for fastening the part in which it is placed, or for holding a piece on that part, a bar or tool blade (3 is passed through the eye and then twisted. As the eye is offset on the side of the short limb, the bar is twisted so as to hold the short limb and pull back the long limb and as the bent or o'tl'set tip of the long limb is drawn back past the tip of the short limb, the ends of the pin are wedged apart so that they occupy a space that is greater tlnintlic hole through which the pin was driven, as shown in Fig. 2. In this simple manner the pin is locked in po sition and cannot be removed until the manipulation is reversed, either by driving forward the long limb or driving back the short limb sutlicicntly to allow the ends to spring together.

The invention claimed is:

l. A cotter-pin made of a piece of wire bentto shape and having two integral limbs joined by an oblong eye at one end, said limbs being of unequal length and having the end of one bent transversely into the path of the other: and said eye havin a portion otlset on the side of the limb having the straight end whereby the bent limb can be drawn back with relation to the straight limb and the ends of the limbs spread by inserting into the eye and turning therein an oblong implement.

2. A cotter-pin made of a piece of wire bent so as to form an offset eye at one end and have two limbs of unequal length, the said eye being offset 011 the side of the short limb and the tip of the long limb being bent at an angle across the tip of the short limb.

3. A cotter-pin made of a piece of wire bent so as to form an oblong eye at oneend and provide two limbs of unequal length, one side of the eye being strai ht with relation to the lon limb and the ot or side of the eye being ofiset with relation to the short limb, the'tip of the long limb being bent acrossthe tip of the short limb, whereby said eye may be opened by turning an oblong implement therein, and the long ANDREW C. CAMPBELL. Witnesses HAROLD WV. CAMPBELL, JOSEPHINE M. STREMPFER- 

